Paradise Valley (The Daughters of Caleb Bender)

The condition of the book was ok but maybe not quite 5 star

I really enjoyed this Historical Amish Fiction first in series! I have always been fascinated by the Amish way of life. My "mama bear" rose up in the beginning when I read about the facts surrounding why Caleb Bender chose to move out of the country so he and his family could worship, live, and work as they believed Gott would have them to do so. The struggles upon arriving in Paradise Valley were believable and at times heart wrenching. Through it all, Gott brought them through and showed them that He had a plan. I'm hoping to be able to read the rest of the series!

Five Amish fathers arrested and thrown in jail, brought before a judge and charged with neglecting the welfare of their children and contributing to the delinquency of a minor all because they kept their children home from the consolidated school. The men tried to convince the judge that they were giving the children an education by teaching them the ways of the farm and the ways of Gott, to read, write and figure so what more do they need since they grow up to be farmers and farmers' wives. The men refused to budge and were sentenced to sixty days in the county jail unless and until they each paid a fine of twenty dollars per child, plus expenses, AND submitted a signed statement agreeing to comply with the conditions of the Bing Act by seeing to it that their minor children attend public school five days a week from then on.Three days later the sheriff made the rounds to the five homes again, this time to pick up all of the school age children and take them to the county children's home, because they had been neglected. They told the children they were going to clean them up, like they were dirty or something. The boys got haircuts and all of the children were given new clothes, now they looked like Englisch children instead of Amish.When the father's heard about this, they paid their fines and agreed to send the children to public school, they didn't want their children to suffer. Father's and children were all returned to their homes. The children didn't like attending school any more than their Dad's wanted them to go there. No one was happy with the situation.Caleb Bender found an advertisement for land in Mexico, Paradise Valley. After some research and talking among themselves it was decided that he and his family would move to Paradise Valley so they could raise their children the way they wanted. Once the Bender's were there they would keep in touch and other Amish would follow them.There were problems and fears in Mexico, rattlesnakes, scorpions and the biggest fear, bandits. After hearing about some of the difficulties, some of the families backed out, but there were also some families from other Amish communities that decided to move to Paradise Valley.If you think the Amish are hard workers in America, wait until you read about the work they did in Paradise Valley. Not only that, the obstacles and fears they now have, was it worth the move? You will read about the bandits and everything they do to the Benders, but Caleb still sticks to the Amish way, no violence, no guns to deal with them. How does that work out for them?The Bing Act, the Ohio law that got the men in trouble, stipulates that all children shall attend public school five days a week from the age of six until eighteen with a possible exemption at sixteen, providing they obtain a valid work permit.From the author's notes in the back of the book:The author's great-grandfather was the elder statesman of the colony, his grandparents lived in Paradise Valley, and his father was born there. However written records are scant and few firsthand accounts have survived, so the author used the known history and geography of the colony to create a backdrop. But this is a work of fiction. While the historical context of the novel is fairly accurate, the characters and their stories are entirely the author's creation.This is a very interesting story, one that I think other readers of Amish books will enjoy. I am on to the second book in the series, The Captive Heart and after that I've already got the third one, Though Mountains Fall.

I found PARADISE VALLEY (THE DAUGHTERS OF CALEB BENDER Book #1) by Dale Cramer refreshing on so many levels. Discovering Cramer's Amish work was like finding a waterfall in the Mohave for me. Rare and inviting after a long and arduous trek across the sands of Amish fiction mediocrity.To begin with, Cramer is an author I appreciatively refer to as a highly skilled writer and storyteller, and they're hard to find in the Amish genre. Each of the three books in this series is 425+ pages in length. Now book length is not indicative of a writer's ability, in and of itself. However, it takes a real storyteller to flesh out a tale of any length and hold a reader's interest, and Cramer does a wonderful job of doing just that. No crank 'em out for a fast buck writing here. No one dimensional predictable storyline. No overwrought repeated phraseology. Instead, the plot and character development are well executed and multi-facted. The writing and phraseology are highly descriptive and fresh.Another great aspect of this Amish series is that Cramer utilizes historical fact and his own family history to weave his work of fiction, which renders the storyline invigorating and unique. In 1922, the State of Ohio enacted a law to force Amish children to attend public school. The result of noncompliance with the law was jail time for Amish fathers and placement in State run children's facilities for their school age children. As a result, several Amish families decided to move out of the United States and start a settlement in Paradise Valley, Mexico. It is in this true life Amish community that Cramer's own grandparents lived. Piecing together historical accounts with what he knows of his Amish grandparent's lives, Cramer then weaves the fictitious story of Caleb Bender found in the book series.This first book, then, is the story of how Amishman, Caleb Bender, moves his entire family away from all that is familiar and settles into life in Paradise Valley for a trial run at farming the uncharted territory. This is done in the hopes that once more is known about the land and its inhabitants, additional Amish families will soon follow. Upon arrival, the family finds the land to be a lush farmer's paradise. However, they are also met with the challenge of learning to deal with the country's citizens and conditions at a precarious time in Mexico's history. Of particular importance to this peace loving pacifist family's survival is the dilemma of dealing with volatile assaults from roaming bandits, who have no respect for the law or life. After all...taking up arms is not an option, since it is strictly against their religion. The story that ensues describes the family's hopes, dreams and challenges as they individually and collectively face these new beginnings.Lastly, another appealing aspect of PARADISE VALLEY, is Cramer's ability to craft multiple storylines into the main plot, which keeps the story moving and interesting. The reader never knows exactly where the story will go next. Subtexts include the typical Amish romances, Mexico's history, class and cultural divides; educational challenges of both the Amish and Mexico's poor, etc.Admittedly...if you're a big fan of other fiction genres like mystery or fantasy, you probably won't find PARADISE VALLEY or the Daughters of Caleb Bender series to be as compelling a read. However, if you're an avid Amish reader, I would predict that Cramer's work could become one of your very favorites.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book (370 pages) over a week or so, last thing at night.It is a proper book, not just a short story.I appreciate the work the (male) writer had to put in to portray women and their feelings in a credible way. Thank you also to his wife for helping with this :-)If anything, I find the males somewhat difficult to read, and their thoughts not explored quite as much as the women's. Not sure if this is why the author is male, so does not feel the need to explain the way men think (or the need to - perhaps that is just the way males are full stop.). But that is a small thing. Thoroughly recommend the book to women and men, for different reasons.And finally thank you for making this a free download.

Amish fiction taken to a higher level! Dale Cramer draws on his own family history as the basis for this well-researched novel. Amish folk in Ohio face persecution in the 1920s when they refuse to send their children to the government school. Caleb Bender learns of good arable land available in Mexico, and he risks the unstable political climate and a hostile environment including bandits and rattle-snakes in order to raise his family according to his faith. Through it all, the family's lives and values are threatened, but their determination to remain true to what they believe is right is unshaken. The characters in the story are well developed and extremely believable. I downloaded this novel for free, but I've purchased the next two in the trilogy. Say no more!

This was free on Kindle, so I downloaded it, because I was intrigued by the chance of an insight into the Amish lifestyle. What a treat this book turned out to be! Set in 1922, it tells the story of an Amish family, centering on the daughters and the family's travels to land in The Sierrs Madre plain, in Mexico, following the laws that were passed in Ohio, at the time, which they felt were against not just their religion, but undermined their whole lifestyle. Although this is a novel, it is based on fact and the author's forebears were not just Amish, but among the first settlers in Paradise Valley. I found it to be a riveting read and just could not put it down. A real gem of a book, as far as I am concerned.

Looking for a novel rooted in history, I came across this tale set in 1920s Ohio. The Englishers have decreed that Amish children must attend mainstream schools - and that is not acceptable. The Benders foresee the end of their way of life and decide to take drastic action to preserve and enhance their community. Rachel is too young for courting - but knows who she'd be seeing if she were older. Will he return her regard?Despite a little predictability in its plot, I enjoyed this novel thoroughly, and was on tenterhooks in case the author decided on tragedy over mere drama.But I won't tell you which he chose....

I really enjoyed this book. I have read huge numbers of Christian novels. Some have been wonderful and very well-written; others have been very mediocre to poor. This one is of the first kind. I got this as a free Kindle book, and I do intend reading the sequels one day (so many books on the Kindle!). The story is interesting and is a page-turner. It's amazing to think of Amish people moving so far away from their original homes to start new and hopefully better lives. I recommend this book if you (a) enjoy Christian novels, (b) enjoy Amish novels, and (c) like a fast-moving plot.